Landing apparatus for airships



Nav, 11, 1924.

F. GENTZCKE LANDING IAPPRTUS FOR AIRSHIPS originl Filed lost. a, 192:5

wml w l5 IV Patented Nov. 1 1, 1924.

UNITED STATESv PATENT. ori-ucla.`

FRITZ GENTzcKE, vor zEEsEN, NEAR xoNIGs 'wus'.iERHAUsEN, GERMANY, AssiGNon To LUFTFAHRZEUG'BAU scHUETTnLANz, or MANNHEIM-RHEINAU, GERMANY.

l LANDING APPARATUS FOR AIRSHIPS.

Original application filed October 8, 1923, Serial No. 667,323. Divided and this application led February l 8, 1924. Serial No. 691,530.

To all 'whom t may concern.' y

Be it known that I, FRITZ GENTZGKE, a citizen of the Republic of Germany, residing at Zeesen, near Konigs Wusterhausen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Landing Apparatus for Airships; and I do hereby declare the f ollowing to be a full, clear, and .exact description of the invention, such as will enable otli- 'ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This ap lication is a division of my application led October 8, 1923, Serial No. 667,323.

The invention relates to so-called landing feet for use in airships to permit the airship to be cushioned in landing Hitherto, shock j absorbers have been employed in'connection with airships for breaking or cushioning purposes in case of concussion or impact on the ground `in the shape of air-filled containers made of rubberized cloth, bags filled with rubber bulbs or the like, wickerwork, or piston brakes and dash-pots. All of such means are, however, objectionable for the reason that they increase lthe resistance of the air during the voyage and further because they fail to work. satisfactorily on landing and fail to adjust or conform to th yawing or drift of the ship. The present invention provides an 1in- Aproved landing foot which in its essentials comprises a'lever having a longer arm and a shorter arm, said lever being fulcrumed on a horizontal axis in such manner that the p longer arm thereof will come in contact with the ground onl landing, while the shorter arm is connected to energyabsorbing devices which will function to cushion the airship in landing. The levers and energyabsorbing devices are connected to a support which is movable about avertical axis whereby'the lever has movements not only in a vertical plane but also in a horizontal plane, thus adapting the landing foot to various service conditions.

The various features of novelty and invention will appear from the detailed description taken in connection with the `accompanying drawings forming part of this specification. Y

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vie showing the lever of the landing foot in side eleva# .dicated at 25 and suitably mounted therein for turning about a vertical axis is a support engagor casing 26. The top of the casing or support preferably works against ball bearings 24, and disposedaround the circumference of the casing is a row of ball bearings 23. The lever 17 is pivoted at 2O to a member 28 depending from said casing or support in a manner to thereabout. Inasmuch as the support or casing is movable about a vertical axis it will now be seen that the lever has movement about such axis and also' about a horizontal axis.

The preferred form of energy-absorb`ing means is a pair of dash-pots 21 having suit able pistons, the latterbeing connectedV by means of links 22 to the points 18 and 19 on either side of the rocking fulcrum 20 of the lever 17.

. The energy-absorbing means may take the form of-a rotary dash-pot instead of the reciprocating type shown in Figs. 1V and 2. The rotary type of shock absorber is shown in Fig. 3 and comprises vanes or radial members 30 and 31 operating on either side of 32 (only one shown) rand 33 extending permit horizontal swinging radially from the casing or support. This type of shock absorber is known in the art and need not be further described.

The ground engaging means is shown as -a` shell-shaped or hemispherical body and -the same is intended to represent any suitable type of. ground engaging means. The

ground engaging means may take theform of an air cushion or rolling means suitably attached andA cushioned to the lever 17 as willbe readily understood.

As will now be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the landing foot is adapted to cushion Aany shocks imparted to the airshp by strikingthe ground on landing, thus avoiding excessive strain on the structure or framework of the ship. Inasmuch as theJanding foot is mounted to turn about a vertical axis as Well as about a horizontal axis 20 the landing foot Will automatically. "adjust itself to the horizontal` movement of the airship` With respect to the ground. Such adjustment is greatly facilitated by the fact that at the Very moment of touching or striking the ground the cushioning effect of the landing foot or lever is' still quite small but gradually increases in accordance With the increasing resistance ofered by the energy-absorbing means.

the same to readily be Withdrawn to an inin said chambers. Furthermore; the movability of the landy ing foot or lever about the axis 20 permits In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

FRITZ GENTZCKE. 

